pesticide

A number of bird species disappeared from the Netherlands over the past decades and more will follow if measures aren't taken, Vogelbescherming said in a new book Bedreigde vogels in Nederland. At least 10 bird species are on the brink of disappearing due to the destruction of their habitats and the decline of insects, NU.nl reports.

Eggs from a chicken farm in Tilligte, Overijssel were found to contain toxic pesticide fiprionil. As a result of this contamination, the farmer's over 3 thousand chickens were killed or taken away. His stock of some 45 thousand eggs was also destroyed, De Gelderlander reports.

This is the second time in less than nine months that this farmer was hit by such a disaster, according to the newspaper. The first time was in mid-August last year.

Over the past decades there's been a "dramatic" decline in the number of ground beetles and moths in two nature reserves in the Netherlands, according to Natuurmonumenten. The number of ground beetles declined by 72 percent in Wijster in Drenthe over the past 22 years, and the number of moths by 54 percent in Kaaistoep in Noord-Brabant over the past 20 years, NU.nl reports.

Dutch consumers pay more for their tap water because farmers continue to use toxic pesticides like Roundup in their pastures, according to water company Vitens. Cleaning up the groundwater costs Vitens around 15 million euros extra every year, the company said to De Gelderlander.

The Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA halted production at seven companies in the poultry sector after they were found to use poisonous insecticide fipronil in the chicken barns. The authority also recalled eggs from four of the companies, the NVWA said on Saturday.

The Public Prosecutor launched a criminal investigation into chrysanthemum grower Satter-Vlug in Poederoijen after a Polish employee was poisoned by contact with a forbidden and severely hazardous pesticide

A poisonous pesticide was discovered in the Maas river, the source of tap water to 1.3 million people in the west of Zuid-Holland, drinking water company Dunea announced on Monday. Dunea immediately stopped taking water from the Maas and switched the water intake to the Lek river until the problem is resolved.

The Asian fruit fly Drosophila suzukii that damaged crops in North America and southern Europe, now threatens Dutch orchards. The expectation is that the fruit fly may also cause harm in the Netherlands, writes Dijksma, State Secretary of Agriculture, in response to questions from the House.